85
Appendix C - Hewlett-Packard TFT Display
Quality Statement
TFT display manufacturing is a high precision but imperfect technology and manufacturers
cannot currently produce large displays that are cosmetically perfect. Most, if not all, TFT
displays will exhibit some level of cosmetic imperfection. These cosmetic imperfections may be
visible to the customer under varying display conditions and can appear as bright, dim or dark
spots. This issue is common across all vendors supplying TFT displays in their products and is
not specific to the HP OmniBook display.
HP OmniBook TFT displays meet or exceed all TFT manufacturers’ standards for cosmetic
quality of TFT displays. HP does not warrant that the displays will be free of cosmetic
imperfections. TFT displays may have a small number of cosmetic imperfections and still
conform to the display manufacturers’ cosmetic quality specifications.
Here are some guidelines to use in determining what action to take on customers’ complaint of
cosmetic imperfection in their TFT display:
1. The unit should be viewed in the customer's normal operating condition.
This means if the customer uses the unit predominately in DOS, or Windows, or in some
other application or combination of applications, that is where the determination shall be
made. Self test is not a normal operating condition and is not a sufficient tool to interpret
display quality.
2. In the customer's normal operating mode:
a) If 4 or more variant pixels appear clustered in the area approximated by a
thumbprint on the display surface, then the display should be considered for
replacement.
b) On OmniBook 4000CT models, if more than 30 total pixels anywhere on the display
are bad, then the display should be considered for replacement. On OmniBook
600CT, OmniBook 800CT, OmniBook 5000CT, OmniBook 5500CT, and OmniBook
5700CT models, if more than 15 total pixels anywhere on the display are bad, then
the display should be considered for replacement.
These are the only conditions in this guideline that may call for a replacement due to a defect in
material or workmanship based on the HP Limited Warranty Statement.
3. If a display is considered for replacement, it should be clear to the customer that cosmetic
variations on the replacement display may also exist, and may require the customer to
use a work-around to obscure the cosmetic imperfection.
4. Customers with cosmetic-based complaints only, that do not conform to the above
conditions and tests will not normally be considered for display replacement. It will be left
to the judgment of the HP-responsible person working with the customer, to identify work-
arounds that are reasonable and appropriate for the individual customer. Customers who
must have a more perfect display solution should consider switching to an OmniBook with
a DSTN display.
We expect over time that the industry will continue to improve in its ability to produce displays
with fewer inherent cosmetic imperfections and we will adjust our HP guidelines as the
improvements are implemented.